The last thing I ever wanted
by TheLostClearwater
Summary: And I thought my life was a nightmare before? It doesn't even compare to what I've got to deal with now.
1. Chapter 1

I had avoided him like the plague. My mother's boyfriend. The man trying to take over my dead father's place in this world. He hadn't even waited a week before starting in on my mom. At least that's what I always figured. I didn't know when things actually picked up between the two of them because I made a point to not be around. Not that it was easy. With him always over, drinking our beer, eating our food. Taking over our couch to watch whatever sports game was on with my mom. And it's not like I could avoid him when he wasn't at our house. After Jake imprinted on Renesmee, we were stuck always hanging around the Leech's house, which also happened to be his second favorite hangout.

I thought things would be better once he and my mom broke up. Not that I was thrilled that she fell for Billy Black, but he was better than Swan. He wasn't trying to weasel his way into our lives from the beginning. I still avoid the house like a plague, but it's not as bad, somehow. And things were better for a time. Until today, actually. I made the mistake of trying to be nice by doing some grocery shopping at the Thriftway for my mom. I was almost out of there when some clumsy asshole walked into me. I turned slowly, my muscles trembling in anger, ready to tear whoever was standing there's head off, and that's when it happened. Everything around me stopped. I couldn't focus on anything but the one person who was now my reason for living. I stared into his eyes - his chocolate brown eyes - and felt my world crumble. Fuck, I just imprinted on Charlie Swan.


	2. Chapter 2

Charlie Swan looked at me, a sheepish smile playing at the corners of his mouth, and apologized. "I'm real sorry, Lee," he nervously muttered. "I guess I should have been paying better attention." His smile quickly faded when he saw the stunned look that had taken over my face. This couldn't possibly be happening. No, no, no. Not him. Anyone but him.

I stood there in silence, unable to speak, let alone move. My hatred for the man who had almost been my step-father had melted away the moment I looked into his eyes, but it was almost immediately replaced with the dark current of hopelessness that was still running through my veins. What was I going to do? Only I would have the shit luck to imprint on the one man who would never touch me with a 10-foot pole. Not that guys were ever lining up for me, but this was different. Charlie had held me on the day I was born and had watched me grow up. I'm a year older than his daughter. The upstanding Chief of Police would never get involved with someone who he still saw as a kid. I watched the world that, for an instant, had made me whole, slipping away just as quickly as it had come.

My imprint shifted his weight nervously, snapping me out of my reverie. I realized that I had obviously missed what he had just said by the expectant look on his face. "Huh?" I answered, stupidly. He gave me a small smile that made my heart melt before answering: "I asked if you were alright. I ran into you pretty hard." I nodded, trying to control the longing I was feeling enough to not let it show in the look I was giving him. "Yeah, no, I'm fine, Charlie. I, um, I should go." And with that, I bolted past him and hurried out of the store, desperate for some time alone to work things out in my head.


	3. Chapter 3

I ran straight for the woods, not bothering to lose my clothes before phasing, and started to pace as the bits fabric that used to be my t-shirt and shorts fluttered down around me. Part of me wanted to flee, to run as far away as I could so that I wouldn't get hurt again. The other part, and the side that was obviously winning, at least for the time being, was desperate not to leave my imprint.

The Problem about keeping yourself so isolated from others for as long as I have is that you really don't have anyone to talk to when something like this happens. I mean, what were my choices anyway? Sam, Quil, Jared, Paul and Jake were the only other wolves who had imprinted. The first four, well, I'd rather have my eyes pierced than talk to any of them, let alone about something personal. Besides, I wanted to keep this quiet. And that sure as hell left Jake out of the list of possible people to talk to. I know he wouldn't be able to keep that one from Bella.

My mom was the next logical choice. She'd always been the one I would go to when I had problems. Always so level headed and full of good advice. But how would I even begin to tell her that I had imprinted on her ex? On someone she had been friends with since she was younger? But this wasn't my fault, right? I didn't mean for this to happen. My mom couldn't be mad at me for something that was out of my control.

"Why would mom be mad at you, Leah? What did you do this time?" Oh, God. Of course Mr. Worst-timing-ever would choose to phase now. "Hey!" my brother whined at me. "I don't have the worst timing ever." I tried to think about anything but Charlie as I snapped at him. "Can't I get some freaking privacy? Why don't you go play fetch with your favorite leech or something?" Even I winced at that one. I could hear the hurt in his thoughts as he responded: "Yeah, fine, whatever. I was just phasing to tell you that the Cullen's are having another family dinner next week and invited you, me, and Jake to it. I'll just tell them that you can't go, as usual." And that's all it took to crumble my resolve to not think about my imprint. The hope of getting to see him again, to actually spend time with him, filled my heart.

This happy warmth was quickly dashed by the disgusted thoughts coming from my brother's head. "Eww, Leah, please tell me this is some sort of a joke!" I growled, unable to think of anything else to do or say in the moment. If only it was a joke. "But he's so old!" he whined out again in disgust. "Ugh! And he's been with mom!" Leave it to him to point out the obvious and the one thought I'd been avoiding for so long. It wasn't like I had never heard the two of them going at it when I was sneaking back into my bedroom at night. I shook my head violently, desperate to clear the awful images that were flooding my thoughts. "Can you please just not tell Jake? I need some time to work this out first," I begged. "Fine, but I get to be there when you tell mom!" The little shit had the nerve to phase back before I could chew him out for that one. Typical.


	4. Chapter 4

I took a deep breath to calm myself and walked back to the tree line, hopeful that I could catch another glimpse of Charlie as he went out to his cruiser. A feeling of panic washed over me as my eyes passed over the parking lot, the cruiser nowhere to be seen. What kind of a wolf am I? I can't even keep track of my own imprint. Growling in annoyance at myself, I took off through the woods, hoping that Charlie would just head home so that I wouldn't have to risk people seeing me when I crossed the highway to get to the station.

I hit the edge of his yard just in time to hear the cruiser's tires leave the road, crunching through the gravel as it came to a stop. Only Charlie would drive slow enough not to beat me back here. Although, I guess it's kind of expected that the Chief of Police would actually follow the oppressive speed limits in town.

The cruiser's door open and my imprint stepped out, forcing me to sink back into the woods so that he wouldn't see me. My mind was racing as I watched him climb up the front stairs and stepped into the house, closing the door behind him. How could I have never really seen him before? He had always just been my dad's friend. The clueless white guy who would go fishing with us when I was younger. I let out a sigh and cautiously moved out of the woods, the looming darkness giving me a little more cover than I had had before.

The only lights on in the house were the front porch and the light coming from the television in the living room. I wasn't sure why Charlie hadn't bothered to turn on any others, but it did make me want to check on him. Hell, who are we kidding? I would have used any excuse to get another glimpse of him.

As I slowly made my way to the living room window, I could hear a news anchor blathering on about the Mariner's loosing yet another game. The Mariners, Seahawks, fishing, beer, my dad's fish fry recipe. My mind was running over everything that I knew made my imprint happy. I knew that I wanted my name to someday be on that list, but I couldn't focus on that right now.

I peered in through the crack in the curtains and couldn't help but smile. He was relaxing on the couch with a beer in his hand and his feet on the coffee table. There was something about him that I couldn't put my finger on. Maybe a sadness of sorts. Whatever it was, it caused me to do something stupid and reckless.

I moved closer to the window, wanting to get a better look and that's when he saw me. He obviously didn't get a good look, but enough to notice that someone was outside, watching him. I stuck around long enough to see him jump off the couch and then I booked it back into the trees where I could see him if he came outside, but he wouldn't be able to see me.

I could hear movement in the house as I stood there listening, all the while berating myself for being such an idiot. The back door swung open and I took an involuntary step back. So much for keeping all of this quiet. What had I done?


	5. Chapter 5

I cowered in the woods as I saw him coming down the back steps, shotgun in hand and a murderous look on his face. I'd never seen Charlie mad before and it wasn't something that I ever wanted to see again. "Who's out there?" He yelled as he looked around the yard. "I saw you, so there's no point in hiding. Now why don't you grow a pair and show yourself?" I was really starting to regret destroying my clothes when I phased. I took a deep breath and felt my body quickly slide back into its normal form before stepping behind a tree, just in case Charlie's vision had gotten better over the years instead of worse. "I-it's me, Charlie. Leah. Please, don't shoot," I muttered, pathetically. "Leah? What the heck are you doing in my back yard?" Charlie started towards my position, but stopped in his tracks when I yelled out "don't!" The poor guy looked so confused.

"I'm sorry, Charlie. I don't, well, have any clothes." Were there any holes around here that I could crawl into and die? Because that would be great. "Oh, uh, well," he stuttered as he nervously rubbed the back of his neck, trying to decide what the best course of action to take. Could he be any cuter? I shook my head again, trying to stay focused. "Here, take this," I heard him call as he took off his flannel over shirt and tossed it toward the tree line, turning around so that I could get it in privacy. I carefully stepped out from behind my tree and grabbed the shirt, putting it on. It smelled like heaven. And by heaven I mean everything that I ever associated with Charlie Swan. A little bit of beer, gun powder, and a hint of greasy diner food. Oh, God, I was turning into a sap. I quickly buttoned up the shirt, thankful that it covered everything important, and finally took a look at the man standing in front of me.

Charlie's back was still to me and he looked tense. His arms were crossed across his chest and all I wanted to do was press myself against his back, taking him into my arms. I forced my eyes to the ground in front of me, knowing that thoughts like that were only going to get me into trouble, and whispered "I'm sorry, Charlie". He turned, cautiously, and finally faced me once he was sure he wasn't going to see anything he wasn't supposed to.

"Leah, what the heck are you doing," he asked with an annoyed tone in his voice. "You could have gotten yourself killed." I kept my eyes on the ground, feeling like I was 5 years old again and being lectured for breaking one of my parents' stupid rules. I heard him step closer and finally looked up at him, worried that I would find more anger in his face. I never wanted to upset him.

Instead of anger, all I saw was concern as I looked into his eyes. "Come on, honey," he said as he put his hand on my upper back, leading me back towards the house. "Let's get inside and I'll call your mom to come get you." Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck. FUCK! How was I going to get out of this? My mom could not find out that I had been in her ex-boyfriend's yard. How could I even explain it without sounding like a lunatic or a stalker? Or, you know, telling her the truth?

I nervously blurted out "you don't have to do that, Chief. I can make it home just fine. I'm sorry I bothered you." I couldn't decide if I should stay and try to deal with my mom or bolt and have him think I'd gone mental. He kept his hand on my back, which I wasn't about to complain about, but wouldn't stop as he lead me up the steps. I guess I was just going to let him make the decision for me. "I'm not just going to send you on your way wearing only a shirt, Lee." Of course he wouldn't. He was too decent a man for that.

He left me standing in the kitchen as he told me he'd be right back and headed upstairs. I nervously fidgeted with the bottom corner of his shirt when I heard him calling my mother while digging through a dresser. Shit. Now it definitely was too late to flee. I stood in the same spot, like an idiot, trying desperately to come up with some explainable excuse. I thought I smelled a vampire? Yeah, no shit, they were always over here. Saying it wasn't one of the Cullens would just get everyone all riled up, so that lie was out. I couldn't tell her that I was here to report a crime, because then I'd have to come up with one to report and I was pretty sure that was a felony.

I still hadn't come up with anything when I heard his footsteps coming closer to me. "Here, these might fit. They were Bells'. I mean are. I don't know, just take 'em," he said as he handed me an old pair of gray sweatpants. "Thanks," I mumbled as I took the sweats, not sure what I should do next. Obviously, my brain didn't want to function when I was this close to him. I looked up just in time to see him nod and leave the room, I guessed to let me get dressed in private.

The couch springs creaked as he settled in and I quickly pulled on the sweats, eager to join him. They still smelled like leech, but at least I wasn't half naked anymore. I walked into the living room and cautiously sat down on the couch, careful to keep plenty of distance in between us. He seemed pretty focused on the news, so I was hopeful that we could just sit in silence until my mom made it to Forks. "So," he stated, startling me, "you wanna tell me why you were looking in my windows, kid?" Damn it. Just my luck.

Clearing my throat, which felt like it was going to close up on me, I quickly said: "I wanted to apologize!" I hung my head, hating that I couldn't get ahold of myself. "I mean, for running into you earlier. I wanted to make sure you were home before I knocked," I pathetically added. That seemed plausible, right? "Mmhmm," I heard him mumble, knowing he wasn't buying it. Luckily he let it slide and we sat in silence, waiting, me constantly sneaking peeks at him when I thought he was wrapped up enough in whatever the news anchor was saying for it to be safe.

I had just started to relax when I heard a knock at the door. Could this night get any worse? I forced myself off the couch, wanting to be the one who answered the door instead of Charlie, and heard him following after me. Worried sick about how I was going to get out of this mess I'd created, like an idiot, I took a deep breath and pulled open the door. Well, that answered that question. It was my life, so of course it could only get worse.


	6. Chapter 6

As I pulled the door open, I saw my brother staring back at me, that stupid, goofy grin he always has, on his face. Man, I was going to enjoy beating that expression off him later. He pushed passed me with a "hey, Charlie!" and I saw my mother standing on the front step, just behind where Seth was standing moments before, giving me an expectant look. Of course she wanted an answer as to what happened. I mean, she got a call that he daughter was lurking around the house of the Chief of Police, who also happens to be one of her best friends and former boyfriend.

My eyes dropped back to the floor, not sure what I should say to her. I heard her sigh in annoyance as she took me by the arm and pulled me out of the house, muttering angrily about talking about this later. As I made my way out to our old jeep, not daring to steal one last glance at my imprint, I heard her quietly talking to Charlie. "I'm so sorry. I don't know what's gotten into her," she said as she was pushing my still grinning asshole of a brother out the door. "Don't be too hard on the kid," I heard him respond. "She didn't mean anything by it." At least someone around here gave me the benefit of the doubt.

I climbed into the back seat of the jeep, not wanting to be stuck sitting next to my mom or Seth on the drive home, and finally looked out of the mud splattered back windows, nodding slightly at Charlie as he waved to me. The doors of the jeep slammed shut and we pulled away, my mother giving me angry glances in the rear view mirror as we drove. Not that I was actually looking up to see them, but when that woman is mad, you can just feel the glare.

I looked up in shock as my mom took the turn to La Push and instantly pulled off the road, pointing out my brother's window and ordering "Out!" Seth gave her just as surprised a look as I had. "But…what?" I'm sure he was just bummed that he wasn't going to get to watch what was sure to be the crucifixion of the year, at least where the Clearwater offspring were concerned. "I mean it, out. Now. You've got patrol in 10 minutes anyway," she commanded as she turned to look at me. "You, in the front seat. We're going to talk." I gave her a horrified look and she added "now, Leah Grace," when she saw that I had no plans on moving. She usually reserved the use of our full names when she was really seeing red. I hesitantly climbed out of the jeep and moved the seat back into its normal position before climbing back in and shutting the door. I couldn't help but feel like I was sealing my own tomb.

"Alright, let's hear it," she said as she pulled the Jeep back out onto the road. It was at this point that a perfect excuse popped into my head. There was just one problem and that was that it would involve hurting her. The break up between my mom and Charlie had been really hard on him. I don't know if she'd ever really forgiven herself for hurting him, so I knew if I told her I wanted to check on him because of that, it would cut her deep. No, I couldn't do that. She cleared her throat to get my attention and I looked up, realizing I'd been lost in thought for over five minutes. "I'm really sorry, mom," I whispered out. "I don't know what to tell you." That wasn't entirely true of course. I know what I should tell her, I just didn't know how.

"Why don't we start with the truth and work our way from there," she suggested. I took a deep breath, telling myself that it was now or never. She'd find out eventually anyway. Probably the next time I managed to piss Seth off for something. I looked over at her, praying that she wouldn't hate me for what I was about to tell her. "I imprinted," I blurted out, instantly regretting it when she hit the brakes, coming to a stop in the middle of the road. I guess it's a good thing that there's not too much traffic out here. The weird thing was, she looked relieved. "Thank goodness," she breathed out as she started driving again. "Maybe now you can finally get back to being happy. That's great news, baby. Who is it?" My mother is not a slow woman. She's smarter than anyone I know. I think she was just in denial, not wanting the answer to be the one she already had on her mind.

I quickly looked back down at my hands, which were busy pulling at a thread hanging off of Charlie's shirt. I flinched as I heard her whisper "oh, God," and pull off the road again. A sense of dread flooded over me. I wasn't the nicest person in the world. Even I could admit that. So, I didn't have a lot of people in my life who actually loved and cared for me. My mom was basically it. The only one aside from my brother who had stood by me through all of this. Granted, my brother kind of did it because he had no choice, but still. I realized that I had destroyed the corner of Charlie's shirt by worrying at it and immediately burst into tears. The thought of him also being upset at me in this moment was too much to bear. I couldn't even remember the last time I had cried. In front of someone else, that is. I did plenty of it when I was by myself. Instantly I felt my mother's arms around me, cradling me against her chest like she had when I was little. "We'll figure this out somehow, sweetheart," she softly whispered as she rubbed my back.

Her strength was one of the things that I had always admired about her. I was thankful for it now, but at the same time, I felt terrible that she had a reason for needing to be strong again. Things had been good for her lately and now I was making things worse. Worse for her, worse for myself, my family. Hell, probably worse for my pack, too. I hadn't even considered what Bella would do when she found out. At least she, Edward and Nessie were off in Alaska, so I'd have a head start when she did. Once again I was making everyone around me miserable, and this time it wasn't even on purpose. This really is the last thing I ever wanted.


	7. Chapter 7

I think I must have cried myself out on the side of the road because the next thing I remembered was my mom pulling the Jeep into the gravel driveway and cutting the engine. I looked over at her, my face feeling sore and puffy, and felt the tears start to flow down my cheeks yet again. "Don't," she quietly said as she wiped my face with her sleeve. "Everything will be okay, my darling." And with that she climbed out of the Jeep and waited for me, obviously expecting me to do the same.

Desperately clinging to the hope that she would be right, I hopped out of the Jeep and walked around to meet her. "He's going to hate me, mom," I pathetically muttered while she was fiddling with the lock on the door. The same stupid lock that my father had promised to fix, but for obvious reasons, never did. "He's going to be surprised as hell," she said with a laugh. "That's for sure. But that man could never hate you, Leah. He's always loved you and your brother." The lock finally gave way and she pushed the door open, stepping inside. I glanced back over my shoulder, knowing this was not where I was longing to be. "Stalking him isn't going to help you, you know." Stalking? That's a bit much. Or not. I frowned to myself as I followed her inside, slamming the door a little harder than I should have.

I followed the noises of my mother putting the kettle on in the kitchen and slumped down dramatically in a chair at our table. I wasn't looking forward to continuing this conversation, but I knew it couldn't be avoided forever. Truth be told, I needed advice. I wasn't sure what kind, but I definitely wasn't equipped to deal with this sort of thing. I only had Sam before and he was the one that pursued me. I shook my head again, trying to get those sorts of thoughts out of my head. I needed to remember that anything with Charlie would probably never go past friendship. As long as I could be with him in some way, though, I figured that would be okay.

I'm not sure how long I sat there, lost in thought, but I jumped when my mom set a mug full of tea with lemon in front of me. She laughed and sat down next to me, earning a glare in response. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. I'm just not used to seeing you like this. So, what exactly have you told Charlie about all of this," she asked before taking a sip from her own mug. "I didn't tell him anything," I mumbled, slowly turning the mug in my hands as I kept my eyes on it. "He probably thinks I'm crazy." I looked up at her as she laughed again. "Oh, honey, you're a Clearwater woman. He knows you're crazy, but that's okay. At least he's got fair warning, right?" I dropped my gaze back to the slice of lemon floating in my tea. She was always so optimistic. To the point of annoyance, especially in times like these.

"What do you think Charlie's going to do?" I asked in a small voice. I knew that, just like my mother, I would have to tell him sooner or later. Someone was going to break the news to him if I didn't. My brother probably wouldn't be able to keep his mind off of it, especially when Jake asked for an update on what was going on while he was with Nessie in Alaska. And if he found out, Bella would find out. Not to mention that he would probably tell Billy, who was the biggest gossip out of all of them and couldn't resist giving his old buddy a hard time, especially about something like this.

"I really don't know. You're probably going to have to give him some time to process all of this because it's Charlie after all," she added with a smile. As much as I was appreciating the advice, I couldn't help but be annoyed with the fact that she knew Charlie better than just about anyone. Save for maybe Billy. It should be me who knew all of his little personality quirks. He was my imprint, after all.

I tried to stuff my jealous feeling down, knowing that they weren't justified and wouldn't help anything right now. "You know, maybe you could bring him some oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. Those are his favorites." Yeah, so much for trying. I got to my feet, the chair flying back as I made my way out of the kitchen, announcing "I need to get some sleep. I love you". I hurried upstairs, accidentally slamming the door behind me, and took a deep breath to calm myself. "Get it together, Clearwater," I muttered as I climbed into bed, not bothering to take off Charlie's shirt.

Pulling the collar up to my nose so that I could take in his scent, I settled in, wondering what he was doing right now. I frowned at the thought of him asleep on the couch, alone. I knew if I didn't fall asleep soon, the urge to sneak in and join him would be too much to bear. And I wasn't really sure how I would even begin to explain that one, so I closed my eyes and focused on drifting off, thoughts of tomorrow swimming through my head.


	8. Chapter 8

"Leah, I'm off to work!" I groaned loudly as my mother's yelling dragged me out of the best dream I've ever had. I rolled over and looked at the clock before dragging myself out of bed. How much of what had happened yesterday was a dream? Maybe all of it. My dreams were pretty vivid last night, after all.

I made my way down to the kitchen where I found a note my mother had left for me. I picked it up, yawning as I tried to focus on it. "Go talk to Charlie. He has lunch at the diner every day at 12:15. It will be public, so he won't be able to freak out too much. And call me to let me know how it goes. Love you! – Mom" Fuck. Of course it wasn't a dream. I looked up at the clock and frowned. 9 a.m. How was I supposed to waste 3 hours?

Once I had showered, cleaned the kitchen, cleaned the living room, showered again and gotten dressed, it was finally a decent enough time to head off to Forks. I started up my dad's old green Ford truck and felt my stomach drop as I pulled out of the driveway.

For the entire 20 minute drive, I tried to talk myself out of turning around. You're not a coward, Leah. It's now or never, Leah. Maybe he'll even be okay with it, Leah. I snorted out loud at that last thought and added "in your dreams, Leah," as I pulled into the parking lot.

The cruiser wasn't there yet, so I climbed out of the truck and headed inside, earning some curious glances from what I'm guessing were the regulars. I didn't know where Charlie usually sat, so I took a seat at a table in the corner. The Diner was small enough that I knew he wouldn't miss me wherever I sat, but I wanted some privacy for the conversation I was planning to have. And I knew Charlie was polite enough to not leave me eating alone at a table, even if he really didn't want to join me. Huh, well, I guess that was something else I could add to the things I knew about my imprint. Sadly, it wasn't a long list.

Right on time, 12:15 on the dot, Charlie Swan walked in through the front door of the diner. My jaw dropped slightly at the sight of him in full uniform. I'd never really been one for cops, but damn, he made it look sexy as hell. He spotted me and smiled before my mind could fully explore just what I wanted to do with his handcuffs and I quickly put on a nonchalant front as he approached the table.

"Oh. Hey, Charlie. I didn't expect to see you here," I lied. "Yeah, I come here every day. You, uh, mind if I join you?" he asked, a curious look on his face. Unfortunately for me, as a cop, Charlie's got an amazing bull shit meter. I was sure he knew I wasn't here on accident, which only caused me to blush as I shook my head and motioned for him to sit. "It's actually a good thing you're here," I kept adding to the lie, not able to give it up, even if he didn't buy it. "I need to talk to you about something. Oh, and I brought this for you," I said as I handed over the shirt he had given me yesterday. I prayed he wouldn't notice the corner and he didn't disappoint as he kept his eyes on me, putting the shirt on the chair next to him without a glance. "Thanks. What did you need to talk to me about, Lee?" I tried not to focus on how cute he looked when his eyebrows knitted together and began to try and explain myself.

"Well, um, you know about Jake and Nessie, right? I mean, the, uh, relationship they share, right?" I looked up to see a dark look take over his face. Crap. I should have known not to bring that up. Charlie had been less than thrilled when Bella finally explained to him just why Jake was spending so much time around his little granddaughter. Less than thrilled was maybe an understatement. Drew his duty weapon and chased Jake out of the house was more accurate.

Charlie opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off by the waitress approaching. "Good afternoon, Chief. What can I get for you both?" She flashed a smile in my direction, waiting for me to answer first. I never would have thought it was possible for a wolf to lose its appetite before now, but mine was gone the second that look crossed Charlie's face. "Um, a cheeseburger, medium, and fries," I responded, ordering the first thing that came to mind. My imprint ordered the same, causing me to smile, which fell right off my face when he looked back at me as the waitress walked away.

He opened his mouth to speak again, but this time it was me who cut him off, keeping my voice low. "I just meant to say that you know about imprinting. So I don't have to explain it to you," I said before swallowing hard and continuing, my voice starting to shake as I got to the point. "I know that you have that whole 'need to know' policy, but I need to tell you something and I really don't want you to freak out on me." Based on the look he was giving me, I could only assume that I looked like a nervous mess. Damn it, I knew I should have waited to do this. At least until after we ate so that I could make a quick exit if I needed to. "I imprinted, Charlie." He gave me a worried look, obviously making the connection a lot quicker than my mom had. He took a deep sigh and I wondered what was going through his mind when he finally asked "On?"

This had gone a whole lot quicker than I had thought. I was expecting to drag things out a little and kind of ease him into the idea. I felt my eyes prickle with the beginnings of tears as I whispered out "you," keeping my eyes down so that I wouldn't see the shock and disgust that I was convinced was on his face. Charlie blew out a loud breath and I heard his chair creak as he leaned back in it. "I'm so sorry, Charlie," I quickly added. "I never meant for this to happen. It's involuntary. I don't… I… God, I can't do this. I'm so sorry." And with that, I got up from the table and hurried out of the restaurant as quickly as possible at a human speed. What was I thinking even trying to tell him? I was an idiot. A complete idiot.

I walked right passed my dad's truck, knowing I was too worked up to drive, and headed for the edge of town where I could disappear into the forest and never come back.


	9. Chapter 9

Alright, so maybe "never" was an exaggeration. I knew I couldn't just up and leave town now. No matter where I would go, my mind would always be here in Forks and not knowing exactly what was happening with my imprint would be unbearable. So, instead of heading for the hills… or mountains to be precise, I spent the next few hours taking out my frustration and anger at myself on any tree standing in my way.

Once I had clear cut a path through Rayonier's property, I made my way back down towards the house I shared with my mother and brother. I knew mom would want a full report on what had happened with Charlie and I was dreading telling her that I ran out on him before he could even answer. Sorry, Ma, your big bad wolf of a daughter is a coward.

I stopped in my tracks as I crossed the road. I guess she wouldn't be waiting for an answer from me, after all. She'd already have heard all about it. I let out a deep sigh as I stared at the Chief's cruiser that was sitting in our driveway. When Charlie and my mom had dated, the sight of that cruiser in front of the house was always my signal to get the hell out of there. Funny, it seemed to still be telling me the same thing, now.

Before I could make up my mind on whether or not to go, I heard the snap of a twig behind me and wheeled around to find Seth standing a few yards away, his hands up in front of him defensively. Like I said, the timing of this kid is impeccably bad.

"I'm not here to give you any crap, Lee, I just wanted to make sure that you were okay. Mom and Charlie have been talking for a long time," he added as he nodded towards the house. "Is… is he… I mean… does he sound mad?" I asked in a small voice. I knew the way I sounded unnerved Seth as much as it did me based on the expression on his face. I had carefully crafted my bitchy façade over the years, to the point that nobody seemed to remember that wasn't always what I was like. Hell, I even forgot from time to time. "Uh-uh. He sounded worried. And he paced a lot. He showed up around one and must have called mom on his way here, because she came home right after. That's when she kicked me out of the house so that they could talk in private." I had to smile at that. Mom really should have known better than to think that Seth wouldn't stick around and listen in. He was nosey, just like Dad was, when it comes to good gossip.

A frown crossed my face as I watched the house. What would my father have thought of all this? He would have understood the imprint, but he would have beat Charlie's ass if he ever tried to touch me in any sexual way. "Earth to Le-ah!" I jumped as my brother snapped his fingers in front of my face. "Geez, this whole imprint crap has made you spacey. Did you hear anything I just said?" He huffed when I gave him an apologetic smile and started pushing me towards the front door, despite my protests. "I said that you needed to stop being a coward and just face Charlie like a man. Well, you know what I mean," he quickly added when I shot him a dirty look. "And he isn't planning on leaving until he talks to you, so unless you want to go crash with some other family for the next few years, you might as well get it over with now."

Seth gave me one final push through the front door, causing me to stumble to a stop in front of Charlie and my mother who were both sitting on the living room couch. I stood there, like a deer in the headlights as they stared back at me, all of us unsure of what to do or say in that moment. Mercifully, my mom decided to excuse herself to make some coffee, which broke the tension. But, her growling at me to sit down and stay as she passed didn't do much for my nerves or my mood.

I carefully sat down in my dad's old recliner, keeping my eyes on my hands. My dad had loved that hideous recliner. "It's old, ugly, but comfy as can be, just like I am," he told me once when I was a child. I had asked him why he wouldn't get rid of it like my mom had wanted. Man, I wished he could help me through this. As I looked up, I saw Charlie looking at me, his expression somewhere between worry and shock. "I'm sorry I ran out on you earlier, Charlie," I said, breaking the silence. And that's all I could think of to say. Real eloquent, right? He just shook his head dismissively and said "I brought your food for you. I'm sure it'll be alright once you heat it back up." Neither Charlie nor I were particularly talkative people, especially when things got awkward like they had. This was going to be a long evening at the pace things were going at now.

"I'm sorry, Leah, I don't know what you expect from me or what I'm supposed to do with all this." I could tell by the way he was slumped forward and the worry lines in his forehead that the stress of all of this was too much for him. Charlie had been having a rough time lately. He was back to living alone after getting used to having people around him constantly. From what I'd heard, he'd tried to throw himself back into his work like he had done before, but it had been a rough transition for him. Not to mention the constant reminders of the supernatural all around Forks and La Push that plagued him.

Seeing him like this was too much for me. I got up from the recliner and moved next to him on the couch, putting my hand gently on his back. Thankfully, he didn't flinch. "I don't expect anything from you, Charlie. Nothing in your life has to change. Just know that I'll always be keeping an eye out on you, but that's it. I know you didn't ask for this and you don't owe me anything."

Charlie looked back towards the kitchen before quietly telling me "your mom said that it would tear you up. Not being around me, I mean. I don't want to do that to you, kid." I looked into his eyes and knew that statement was true, but it didn't really matter. He didn't want to hurt me, but he didn't want to be with me, either. I put on a reassuring smile, knowing that I had to make him okay with this, even if I never would be. It was the best thing I could ever do for him. The last thing he needed was any more guilt.

"Like I said, I'll be keeping an eye on you. That will be enough for me. As long as I know you're okay, I'll be okay. I'm sorry you've had to deal with this, Charlie. I really am." I could tell he didn't believe me, but it was the best I could do right now. I leaned forward and gently kissed his forehead as my own good-bye, even though I knew the feeling would only serve to torture me later. "Really, Charlie," I added with the same reassuring smile. "Go get some sleep. I'm sure you've got another long day ahead of you. And thanks again for the food." I turned and walked into the kitchen, my knees buckling from the pain as I reached the counter. "Get him out of here, please," I begged my mom with a fervent whisper. And with that she hurried out of the kitchen, putting on the same calm and collected act that I had just moments before, and ushered Charlie out of the house.

I slumped down on the ground as the cruiser left the driveway, my back pressed against the cupboards and my head in my hands. "It's what's best for him," I whispered as I heard my mom's footsteps at the entrance to the kitchen, answering what I'm sure would be the first question out of her mouth. "I've done a lot of selfish things over the past few years, but I can't. Not now. Not when it comes to him." My mother has never been a woman of few words. She's always got something to say about everything. But tonight, she sat by my side, her arm around me and sat there in silence. I'm not sure if it was because she couldn't think of any words of encouragement in this hopeless situation or if it was because she thought silence might help me see things through, but either way, it gave me time to formulate a plan. A plan of just how I was going to survive Charlie Swan.


	10. Chapter 10

[4 Months later]

As I was running along the perimeter of the reservation boundaries, I couldn't help but think that whoever said that time heals all wounds deserved to get kicked in the nuts.

The other wolves had been supportive over the past few months. Or, at least they had in the beginning. "Just give him time, he'll come around," Sam said reassuringly, about 3 weeks after my imprint had driven out of my life. After I nearly took his head off for it, the others stopped trying to console me so much.

I pushed myself to run as fast as I possibly could. It wasn't necessary, but with the way I'd been sleeping lately, I could use all the help to tire myself out I could get. "You're going to keel over one of these days if you keep pushing yourself like this," my brother's voice slipped into my head as he phased, his thoughts becoming my own. "Geez, you sound just like mom," I thought back. "You going to tell me to be good and eat my vegetables now, too?" I joked, trying to keep my thoughts light. As much as my little brother got on my nerves, he had been there for me when I had, yet again, driven the others off. And for that reason, I tried to keep from directing my anger at him.

In the past few months, I had again tried becoming the master of avoiding Charlie Swan. Seth had come through for me like never before, checking on Charlie when I thought I couldn't handle it and giving me daily updates on what and how he was doing. I was sure he left certain things out for my benefit, but it was enough. At least, I told myself it was. I had no idea if Charlie had been checking on me like I was him. If he was talking to my mom, she wasn't sharing. I was sure he probably wasn't, but I desperately wanted to believe he cared enough to worry. I wasn't sure why it mattered so much to me, but it did. Maybe, selfishly, I didn't want to be the only one suffering.

At the mention of vegetables, my brother's thoughts turned to the baked ziti our mom had fed him before sending him off on patrol and I felt my stomach twinge as it snarled. "Go get dinner," my brother ordered. "Mom said she'd come out looking for you if you weren't home soon anyway." I wouldn't put anything past that woman. I made my way to the trees just to the left of our house and phased back to my human form, quickly pulling on the clothes I kept hidden out there.

As I made my way towards the front porch, I noticed that the paint on the railing was starting to chip. I made a mental note to pick up some paint the next time I was at Forks Outfitters. I searched for distractions like that, but unfortunately for me, they weren't so easy to find after I had all but done everything on my mother's to-do list within two weeks. Not to mention that vampire activity had been zilch, even with the Cullen's spending more and more time away as Nessie grew up. Their excuse for the trips was so she could spend more time in public. But, in their absence, things were quiet.

I stepped into the house, realizing just how quiet it was with just my mother there. Normally you would find at least two or three of the pack members here, especially the younger ones, begging for food. Jake, of course, wasn't around much these days with Nessie being gone. He was wherever she was and Embry was taking time off to take care of his mom who had fallen ill. The younger pack members were back in school. Life continued on the rez, even if I wasn't sure I wanted it to.

There was a note on the counter from my mom informing me that she was spending the night at Billy's and that I was to take the night off. I scrunched my face up at the thought of my mom spending the night at Billy's place and tossed the note aside, scooping the pasta on to a plate. At least she wasn't home to make sure I took the night off.

Because we were seriously short staffed, so to speak, that meant a lot more patrolling for the rest of us. But, on the plus side, we were patrolling so much that I didn't have a lot of time to think of… other things. Okay, who am I trying to fool? I could have been patrolling 24-hours a day and still not have enough on my plate to keep my mind off Charlie. I couldn't even stay away from him. Not completely, anyway. When the space between us got to be too much, I would sneak into his house while he was asleep. It wasn't really breaking and entering because I knew where he hid the spare key. At least, that's what I told myself, even though I knew I was no better than that mind reading leech. The pull was just too strong to resist and thankfully the guys didn't bring it up, even though I knew the scent from his house was all over me.

It's not like I did anything inappropriate while I was there. I would occasionally clean. Sometimes I made him lunch for the next day. I wasn't sure I should do that until Seth told me he had seen Charlie with the paper bag on his way to work. It had been the highlight of my week. How sad is that? Mostly, though, I just sat on the edge of Charlie's bed and ran my fingers through his hair while he slept. I knew how creepy it would look to everyone around me. And how freaked out Charlie would have ever been if he had woken up with me there. It didn't matter, though. I was going to take time with him however I could get it. Don't judge.

I plopped down on the couch, plate in hand, and started scarfing down my dinner. This is how my life went now. Wake up from mostly sleepless nights, eat, get a run down from Seth, patrol, eat again, patrol some more, stalk the Chief of Police, and crawl back in bed. Although, I doubted I would see Charlie tonight. I really did try to limit my stalking to a few days a week.

Grabbing the remote, I started flipping through the channels. Nothing but re-runs and news. "For fuck's sake," I muttered as I tossed the remote aside a little too hard, cringing as it hit the ground and broke apart. One more thing to add to my shopping list.

When things got quiet, I constantly wished for something to keep my mind busy. A stray vamp. Something. Anything. Just a little action to pass the time. Hell, I would have taken some training with the guys. But we didn't need to train now. There were no threats, no looming disasters. That was, until the day I got my wish, the day that changed things forever.


	11. Chapter 11

The dream I was having seemed so real. Charlie and I were sitting out on an old dock on Lake Crescent, our feet dangling over the edge. I looked up at him, loving the way his arm felt around me as I studied his face. His gaze was fixed the water, a lazy smile playing at the corner of his lips. Those lips that now belonged to me. I reached up and gently ran my thumb across his mustache and his smile spread wide. The time I was spending in my happy place was interrupted by the shrill yell of my brother yelling "Leah! Phone!" before chucking it at my head. I threw the first thing I could grab off my side table towards the door where I knew he was standing. I heard the alarm clock slam into the wall as I grabbed the phone. This next shopping trip was going to be painfully expensive.

"Hello?" I mumbled sleepily into the receiver as I sat up in bed. "Lee," Jakes voice sounded urgent on the other end, "something's wrong." I rubbed my hand over my eyes, still trying to wake up. "What are you talking about, Jake? What's wrong?" I wasn't worried, despite Jake's tone. Ever since he'd imprinted on Renesmee, he'd been jumpy. The last time she had run off to play without telling him, he nearly called in the National Guard. Not that I blamed him, especially now, but still. "Alice had a vision," he responded, still sounding wound up.

"And just what did the sparkly munchkin see this time? Is Timmy going to fall down a well? Because I sure as shit am not Lassie, you know." Okay, so I was being kind of a bitch. But I was tired and really didn't understand why Jake had woke me up to give me news about the Cullen's. He knew how I felt about them, even now. "Damn it, Leah, will you just shut up and listen to me for once?" I was about to make some snarky comment when he cut me off. "Alice saw two nomads passing through Forks. She said they were going to pick up the Cullen's scent and go to investigate. Leah," he said my name with such intensity and desperation that I couldn't help but feel my stomach drop. "They're going to go looking for them when they don't find anyone at the house." He didn't need to say anything else for me to realize just what Alice had seen. There was only one other place in Forks that reeked of the Cullen's. I barely managed to choke out "when?" as I was throwing the covers off me and diving out of bed. I knew where I was going no matter what Jake's answer was. "Today. I don't know exactly when. We're on our way back, but Alice doesn't think we'll make it in time."

I didn't even bother to hang up as I threw the phone out of my hand, not caring where it landed. As I flew through the living room, I saw Seth and Jared playing one of their stupid video games and yelled "Charlie's in trouble. Vampires. Come on!" as I dove through the open door, my paws hitting the dirt at the bottom of the front steps. I pushed myself with a sense of urgency that I had never felt before. Maybe I should have called Charlie to warn him, but I didn't want to waste the time. Besides, what would I have said to him? Charlie still didn't know the whole truth about what his daughter had become. I sneered at the thought of her. I never had any issues with Bella until I saw how she treated Jake, but now, now that Charlie was in danger because of her selfishness, I loathed her entire being.

"It's not like she meant to put him in danger!" Seth whined as his thoughts again became mine when he phased. "Don't you dare defend her to me right now," I thought with a growl. "Are the others coming?" Two vampires wouldn't be too much of a problem for the pack, but I didn't want to drag Seth into a fight where it would just be the two of us. "Jare's getting the rest of them now." And right on cue, I heard a howl break through the silence of the woods. "Hurry," I thought, "please, God, hurry."

Being the fastest in the pack had its advantages. I knew I'd make it there before anyone else, but at the same time, I wasn't sure that I wanted to. I didn't know what I'd find, what I'd be facing, or how long I was going to be facing it alone for. I was pushing myself as fast as I could go, but it still felt like time was moving so slow. It was a Saturday. If I was lucky, Charlie would be at work. Maybe the presence of so many people in City Hall would detract these two long enough for me to keep him safe if they followed his scent from his house.

I didn't want to think about the alternative. Saturday. There was probably some sort of game on. Charlie was trusting enough to open the front door for anyone who knocked. Not that they'd have to or even bother. Growing up, I had always seen my father and his friends as the strongest men in the world. It wasn't until the moment I phased that their weakness and fragility became so painfully evident. The first sight I had seen when I first looked at the world through a wolf's eyes was my father on the ground and my mother kneeling next to him, compressing his chest as she performed CPR.

Charlie was no stronger than my father had been, though I never thought about it until he became my imprint. Healthier, maybe, but that wouldn't help him if I didn't get to him in time. I ran through the trees and an occasional yard as I hit the city limits of Forks. Yeah, it was dangerous, but I didn't give a rat's ass about keeping anything a secret right now.

As I hit the woods that surrounded my imprint's house, the woods that always had seemed so safe and familiar, the acrid bleach smell of leech hit me like a wrecking ball. All I could think as I broke through the tree line was that I was too late.


	12. Chapter 12

Time seemed to screech to a halt as I landed in Charlie Swan's side yard, looking around, eyes wild. I took an involuntary step back when I saw the cruiser sitting in the driveway. "Damn it, Charlie," I thought to myself, ignoring the questions coming from my brother and now Quil, who had finally decided to join us. I followed the scent around to the back yard, letting out a loud snarl as I saw the two males standing in the back yard. They turned to face me and under any other circumstances, the looks of shock and confusion on their faces would have been comical. I stalked closer, keeping my eyes locked on the pair, pausing only when they moved to prepare for their attack.

I didn't see any sign of Charlie in the yard, not that that meant anything. Ignoring the voices in my head yelling for me to stop and wait, I lunged at the larger of the two vampires, sinking my teeth into his neck. I didn't know if I was preventing or avenging the murder of my imprint, but either way, I'd die trying if I had to. The vampire yelled out in pain and I felt the hands of the smaller vampire grab at my fur before I was hurled across the yard, hitting the ground hard.

Almost as soon as I made contact with the ground, I was back on my feet, charging again. I could smell Charlie's scent, but I didn't know if it was just from him being outside earlier or from the vampires being inside his house. I darted away, just narrowly getting away from the larger vamp as he jumped at me. One I could handle. I didn't know how I'd survive a fight with two. "We're almost there, Leah! Hold on!" Seth thought as I bit down on the smaller vampire's leg and jerked my head, flinging him aside, only to have him land perfectly on his feet.

The prospect of even surviving seemed less and less as I backed towards the back corner of the yard, my eyes darting between the two approaching leeches. I listened hard, trying to hear some sound that would signal my imprint was still alive. Some little glimmer of hope that would help me to keep fighting. I let out a soft cry when I was answered with silence.

At that moment, I resigned myself to the fact that I might not live through this fight. If Charlie was dead, there was no point in me living anyway. I again lunged myself at the bigger vampire, hoping I could at least take the worse threat out before my brother got there. No such luck. As the bigger vampire launched himself at me, meeting me in mid-air, I saw a sandy colored wolf come skidding into the yard. I bit and snapped at the ice cold, granite hard skin as we fell to the ground all the while my thoughts screaming at my brother to run. "Seth, wait for backup!" I yelled as he took off towards the smaller vampire, kicking up pieces of Charlie's lawn as he went. "I am the backup," he stubbornly replied, he and the vampire circling each other. I jumped aside as the leech tried to get his arms around me and bit down on his hand, ripping it from his body and throwing it across the yard.

The smaller vampire took one look at what was happening with his friend and fled for the woods. I'm sure Seth would have gone after him hadn't taken a blow to my head. I staggered back, seeing bright flashes of white in front of my face. "Go after the other one, Seth! Don't let him get away!" I begged, again ducking out of the blood-sucker's grip. "And let you stay here and die? Yeah, right. Mom would ground me forever if I did that." We circled the vamp, each taking turns lunging at him, pulling chunks of what used to be flesh off of his body. He wailed in pain and Seth sunk his teeth into his throat, effectively cutting off the noise. Thank God seeing as how the last thing we needed was one of Charlie's nosey neighbors wandering into the back yard to see what was going on.

Standing back, tail twitching, I was ready to jump into the fight, even though my brother didn't seem to need the help. At this point, I just wanted to help make the blood sucker suffer while hoping Charlie hadn't. I took a step forward as I saw the vamp raise his hand and screamed "Seth!" as his arm made contact with my brother's spine. I went to dive for the arm, but didn't even get off the ground when I felt a cold pair of arms around my body. I heard a series of stomach churning snaps as the pain rushed through my body, causing me to yelp loudly. I didn't even have time to take stock of what was broken before he threw me to the ground and grabbed ahold of my ear. At first I thought he would take my head off, but just like I had, he wanted to watch me suffer. He yanked my head up and I felt the world spin and slide as my head was slammed into a large rock on the ground.

I heard a snarl as my body involuntarily phased back to its human form, but it hadn't come from Seth or me. I no longer felt the cold hands on me as I lay on the ground, barely holding on to consciousness. I didn't know if it was the massive internal damage that would get me or the brain trauma, but it didn't matter at this point. I stared up at the sky, watching the gray clouds go in and out of focus as they darkened. No wolf from our pack had ever been injured as badly as I was in that moment. I knew that even though my body had started to heal itself, it probably wouldn't be enough.

As the sky started to dim, I heard the commotion of the wolves arriving. More teeth against rock hard skin, the shrieking of the small vampire as he was torn limb from limb, and the growling and snarling of the pack members doing the damage. I felt a warm nose poke my arm as tears streamed down my face. I couldn't move or even think over the pain. My only hope was that if Charlie was dead, that I'd see him on the other side. I know I'd been a bitch, but I'd done enough that God wouldn't punish me for that, right? I felt the ground around me move as the wolf next to me moved and heard a whole new flurry of activity. I couldn't tell what was what as I slipped further and further away. I felt a hand take mine as another hand was placed on my face and heard Charlie Swan say "Leah? Honey, it'll be okay," as the world went black.


	13. Chapter 13

The next time I opened my eyes, I was looking into a bright, white light above me. I don't mean in the angels playing harps type sense; someone had put me under a freaking bright white lamp of some sort. I couldn't move and my eyes wouldn't focus on anything around the room. Before I could even put much thought into where I was exactly, a sickeningly sweet smell hit my nose and I heard the voice of Edward Cullen quietly say "You're at our home, Leah. In Carlisle's study. You're going to be alright." Alright? I was having trouble putting things together when the thought of Charlie popped into my head, causing me to sit up quickly. I needed to know what happened. Had I imagined hearing his voice?

"Charlie is fine, I assure you," Edward answered my unspoken question as he placed his cold hand on my shoulder, causing me to shiver as he pushed me back down. "He's downstairs with Jacob. I'll send him up as soon as Carlisle is done examining you." I breathed out a heavy sigh of relief as tears freely fell down the sides of my face, soaking my hair. He was alive. "Where was he," I thought to myself, "why couldn't I hear him when I was at his house?" Edward again answered my thoughts, which normally would have annoyed the hell out of me, but with the pain I was in, I didn't mind the prospect of not having to talk. "Charlie was at his neighbor's house. Thankfully. The inside of his home reeked of the two… visitors. He came running when he heard you yelping and fortunately didn't get there before the other wolves did. He's still quite unnerved by everything he saw, but I think he was mostly affected by seeing you in such poor shape." Poor Charlie. I didn't even want to think about what he would have seen. "Seth is alright as well. Esme is feeding him as we speak." Shit. I hadn't even thought to ask about Seth. Truthfully, I didn't even remember that he had been injured until the leech brought it up. Talk about a guilt trip. "It's perfectly understandable with the physical head trauma you've been through, Leah. Things will likely be a little fuzzy until one of the other wolves can fill you in. Please excuse me," he added as I smelled Carlisle Cullen enter the room. The bright light was pulled away, allowing me to take in more of my surroundings. Dark paneling, paintings, medical equipment. I really didn't want to think of what kinds of things Dr. Fang got up to in this room. "Well, Leah," his voice broke through my train of thought; "you took one hell of a beating. But, I think you're going to be okay. Everything seems to be healing nicely now that we've re-set your broken bones." Thank God I was unconscious for that. The memories of Jake screaming in pain flooded my head and I involuntarily shuddered.

"I would like to keep you here for the rest of the night, though. Just to be sure. I'm keeping the morphine steady, just in case. I wouldn't want you to have to face any unnecessary pain. But, you may feel a little out of it on top of everything else, so I would like you to try and get some sleep." Now that he had mentioned it, I was feeling high as a kite. "But, Charlie," I managed to mumble. "Charlie will still be here when you wake up. He's made it very clear that he's not going anywhere. Now sleep, please." And with that, he turned out the lights in the room, leaving me in the dim light of evening.

I could hear things moving throughout the house, papers shuffling, chairs scraping. But what really interested me were the two male voices that I knew so well. "Charlie, man, you gotta relax. Leah will be fine. Now stop pacing and sit down." Jake said, sounding annoyed. Another chair scraped as I guessed my imprint had taken a seat, as ordered. "You know, for someone who doesn't really care about her, you seem pretty worried, Chief." Even I flinched at that one. I knew that Charlie's absence had upset Jake. He hated seeing me so hurt. Of course my pain meant everyone else's suffering, which I think was a big part of him hating it. "Don't you dare, Jake," I heard Charlie growl before he added "you have no idea how much I care about her." I heard Jake snort in a bitter way and frowned to myself. I didn't like the idea of him being cruel to Charlie, even if it was in my defense. "You have a shit way of showing it," Jake snapped. Before Charlie could respond, I managed to choke out "Jake, don't, please," as I again tried to sit up, only to lay right back down as my head went fuzzy. Stupid morphine.

I tried listening again, but the voices were gone, replaced by the sound of boots hiking up the stairs. I knew there was only one person in this house who would make that much noise and I held my breath, hoping that those footsteps would be heading towards me. I needed to see him. Despite everyone's claims that he was alright, despite hearing his voice, I needed to see it for myself. I had to know.

The door creaked open and I turned my head, bursting into tears as I saw him peeking in the door way. God, I was doing a lot of crying. I knew that Charlie was wary around tears, but I couldn't stop. I felt his hand on my face, trying to wipe some of the tears away. "Shhhh, Lee, you're okay. You're safe now," he whispered nervously. The nerves were probably from the fact that the tears weren't showing any signs of stopping. "You're okay," I blurted out. I can't believe the big idiot thought I was scared for myself. "Of course I'm okay. I'm not the one who got beaten to a bloody pulp." I had to wonder just what he had seen when he came home. I carefully lifted my hand, holding his against my cheek as I tried not to imagine it.

"Pretty sure you're supposed to be sleeping, you know," he quietly joked. I think he was just desperate for something to say at that point. I'm sure he wasn't expecting the reaction that he got once the words were out. "Please don't leave me," I begged, holding his hand tightly. I heard him sigh, but I wasn't sure why. "Don't worry, honey, I'm not going anywhere. But I will need to grab a chair if you want me to stay with you and I'll need my hand back for that." I finally opened my eyes, looking up at him as I reluctantly let go. I watched as he took a chair from in front of a desk that I guessed was Carlisle's and brought it back over to the hospital bed, setting it down before taking a seat. I reached my hand out and he took it in his. Whether he was just being kind or actually wanted to didn't really matter to me at that point. "You scared the hell out of me, kid. I thought we'd lost you." We. Not him. "I'm sorry," I whispered, closing my eyes again.

He got to his feet, keeping hold of my hand as he shushed me again. "Don't worry about it. Just get some sleep." I felt his lips press against my forehead and his mustache tickle my skin as the morphine pulled me back under.


	14. Chapter 14

A loud noise ripped me out of my sleep. All I could think was that I was going to have to kill a blood sucker for deciding to chop down trees with a chainsaw at this ungodly hour. I couldn't help but burst out in laughter as I looked over and realized the noise was coming from Charlie's mouth as he snored loudly from his chair. At the sound of my laughter, he sat bolt upright and looked around the room in a panic. "What is it? What's wrong?" he said before turning back to me and giving me a glare with no real anger behind it when he realized that I was laughing at him.

"I'm sorry, Charlie. I wasn't laughing at you. Well, maybe a little," I added, an apologetic smile on my face as I sat up and swung my legs over the side of the hospital bed. "I'm glad you can get some amusement from this situation," he grumbled. Of course the poor boy was grumpy. He'd slept in what looked like a really uncomfortable chair and his back was probably killing him. I got to my feet and offered him a hand up, but all I got in response was him looking at me like I was Jesus walking on water.

"We heal really fast," I explained once I realized why he had that expression on his face. "But a few years ago…Jake…I mean…" His eyebrows were knitted together like they always were when he was trying to work things out. That was one more thing I could add to the list of things I knew about him. "That was just an act, Charlie. Jake was completely healed the next day. It was all for you, really." I smiled and ran my fingers through his hair as he frowned.

I knew how much he hated knowing what had been kept from him, even if he did implement his own "need to know" plan of operations afterwards. "So, you're okay, though? No more pain?" I smiled down at him, secretly loving how worried he looked. "I'm fine. Good as new. You want me to carry you downstairs to prove it?" I had to grin at the look of shock that crossed his face. "Uh, no, no that won't be necessary. Really. Ever," he said as he finally took my hand and let me help him up. The wince of pain I saw once he stood caused me so much guilt. I never should have made him sleep in that stupid chair.

Quickly I moved around behind him, putting my hands on his lower back, carefully massaging his sore muscles with my fingers. "I'm so sorry, Charlie," I said as he moaned in relief,"I'll find you some advil or something and I'm sure that will help." Not that I was planning on doing that any time soon. As much as I wanted him to feel better, I wasn't going to give up a chance to spend time with him, especially when he was voluntarily letting me put my hands on him. I'm pathetic, but I know it. I don't need it pointed out to me, thank you very much.

Charlie surprised the hell out of me by saying "What you're doing is working just fine." I wouldn't let myself get my hopes up to think that he wanted me to touch him. I just kept telling myself that I was really good at massages or he was really desperate for relief from his back pain. Maybe both. Of course this amazing moment couldn't just go on like I wanted it to.

Jake popped his head in the room, grinning broadly. "Sorry to interrupt, I heard moaning and thought Leah might be in pain." I couldn't see Charlie's face, but I knew from the fact that Jake looked smug as hell that it must be 15 shades of red. "You're lucky Charlie doesn't have his gun on him, Jake. Because right now, I'd really like to shoot your dumb ass," I threatened as I glared at him from behind my imprint's back. "Hey, hey, I was only looking out for your well being," Jake said, trying to look innocent as he had his hands up defensively in front of him. I couldn't let him get the best of me. I was trying my best to show Charlie that I was an adult and not the hot-headed teenager that he knew.

"Well, now that you've established that Leah is just fine, is there any reason you're still standing there, grinning like an idiot?" Charlie asked, sounding annoyed. Have I mentioned how much I love my imprint? Jake rolled his eyes, but the smug smile was gone from his face.

"Esme wanted me to let you two know that breakfast is ready. And you might want to hurry if you actually want any. Seth, Quil and Billy are putting down the food faster than she can cook it." Of course Billy was there. Mom, too. I let out a deep sigh and moved around to face Charlie as Jake ducked out of the doorway. I could tell he was thinking the exact same thing.

"Well, this won't be awkward or anything," I muttered as I put my hand on his chest, keeping my gaze on it and not his face. "Yeah, you think there's any chance of us sneaking out the back door without them noticing?" he asked hopefully. I lifted my face to look at him, smiling wide at the fact that he wanted to leave with me. "Let's see, you want to escape with at least three wolves and countless va- uh, Cullen's in the house? I think the M's have a better chance of being in the Series." I didn't want to mention that everyone in the house had heard the entire conversation, so there really was no chance. Well, everyone but Mom and Billy, but I'm sure someone would be more than happy to fill them in.

"Maybe we could try the window then," he playfully added. This. This was heaven. I would take that beating every day of my life if it meant getting to be with Charlie like this. "You jump, I jump, Jack." He looked so confused. "Nevermind," I quickly added, slipping my arms around his waist. "Maybe you can just fake a police emergency and get out of here before things get awkward. Oh, wait, too late." I returned the small smile he gave me as he cautiously put his hands on my shoulders. It was probably the only safe place he could think of at the time, but I didn't care. "I wouldn't want to run off and leave you to deal with all this mess on your own, you know."

I took a deep breath and looked up into his eyes. It was now or never. "So don't," I whispered as I rose up onto my toes, leaning up to kiss him. All that was running though my head was a silent prayer of please don't back away, please don't back away. His eyes closed and his head came down towards mine. I could feel his warm breath on my lips, which were now only a few inches from his.

"Jesus, Leah, what the hell is taking you so long?" My brother's voice broke through the silence and Charlie and I quickly pulled back from each other, both of us bright red. Charlie looked away, but I looked over at my brother, who was wearing a shocked look on his face as he stood in the doorway. At least he had enough sense to high tail it and fast when I gave him a murderous gaze. He yelled "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to!" as he flew down the stairs. Great, now everyone was going know. I finally turned back to my imprint, who was staring intently at the floor in front of us.

"I'm sorry, Leah, I… I shouldn't have, uh…" he broke off his muttering with a sigh. I knew he was looking for something else to say to try and break the tension, but I wasn't going to let things go like this. I had almost lost him twice yesterday, once when the vampires went into his house and the second time when I almost died, and I sure as hell wasn't going to give up what could be my final chance. I took his face in my hands, waiting until his eyes finally found mine. My heart and his were both pounding in our chests as I moved in, pressing my lips against his before anyone could interrupt us again.


End file.
